We loved when we used to have time to make tamales. Our cousin, Andy, got us into it with a really complicated recipe that took about 20 hours to make a meal for four people. Those were the days.
No time? No Corn husks? It’s a perfect time for Tamale Pie! This recipe makes a lot of food, we put half or more of it away for a future quick meal.

We live 35 minutes from the closest co-op grocery store, so when we find ourselves with no food in the house we can't just run out to grab something. Instead, we have to get creative. We like to think of it as our own version of food TV competition: what can we make with a random assortment of on-hand ingredients? This time it was Jack's turn and the dish was fantastic!